Chairs with adjustable backs



April 25, 1961 w. GOEBEL CHAIRS WITH ADJUSTABLE BACKS Filed Sept. 25, 1959 IIL INVENTOR, WALTER GOEBEL,

ATTORN EY,

CHAIRS WITH ADJUSTABLE BACKS Walter Goebel, Newburgh, N.Y., assignor to Gersten Bros., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 25, 1959, Ser. No. 842,254

14 Claims. (Cl. 155-159) The present invention relates to chairs, chaises, lounges and the like having arm rests and whose back member is adjustable as to its angular relation with the seat member. More particularly, this invention concerns itself with the construction of the arm rests and the means to effect said adjustment.

For said back tilt adjustment means, a toothed rack is commonly used below each arm rest, for cooperation with an engagement pin. This structure as heretofore made, was exposed. Since these articles of furniture are usually of the collapsible type, it is found that users will unfold and fold them in different manners and many a time would hurt their fingers which suffer cuts and pinches on the rack teeth. Further, exposed rack teeth detract from the appearance of better type furniture because of their show of mechanism which spoils the design scheme.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide a novel and improved construction which avoids all of the foregoing objectional incidents, is simple and cheap to manufacture, easy to use and efiicient in carrying out the purposes for which it isdesigned.

Another object thereof is to provide a novel and improved mechanism in arm chairs and the like, for adjusting the tilt of the back member, in which every setting is secured against accidental displacement by a novel rack structure and its associated engagement finger and which affords easy assembly of the parts and other incidents which will be explained.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

Since this invention relates to a construction for changing the tilt of the back member, the article of furniture it is applied to, may or may not be of the fold able type. Essential however, is that the back member shall be swingably mounted and that the rear end of each arm rest be pivotally secured to the back member and that there shall be some support at each arm rest forwardly of the back member to carry the racks engagement finger.

For the practice of this invention, one form it may assume is to have the arm rests of tubular stock in which is fitted securely a tubular piece, the wall of which is cut and bent to form a plurality of rack teeth formations withopenings in planes transverse said inner tube for selective engagement with a special finger holding the arm rest releasably locked to maintain any set tilt position of the back member. The framework of the chair near the forward region of'thearm rest offers a mount for said engagement element which is positioned through a lengthwise slot in the underside of the tubular arm rest and its insert tube; said rack teeth and openings being above said slot. The finger is of such shape that it permits easy assembly with the arm rest, but once mounted, it maintains such assembly.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

" 1 atent Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the framework of a folding chairembodying the teachings of this invention. Here, the legs, seat frame and the back frame are made of metal tubular stock, and so are the arm rests.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective fragmentary view of a tubular insert which is fitted within each arm rest. This insert is formed with a longitudinal slot for the engagement finger and an internal rack format having the mentioned openings which are in planes transverse said insert tube.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the engagement finger.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken at line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section taken at line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

The Figs. 2-5 are drawn to substantially the same scale.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 indicates generally a folding chair frame structure whose legs, arm rests, seat and back frames are of tubular stock. To attain clarity of illustration, the seat and back panels or the interwoven broad tapes to serve as such panels, are omitted, but deeming same as if present, I designate the seat member with the numeral 16 and the back member with the numeral 17. The rear ends of the arm rests 18, 18

are pivotally mounted to the back member 17, as shownswingable parts being held fast by means associated witheach arm rest so that the whole chair is rigid at predetermined set positions of the back member 17, as will now be described. Since such means at each arm rest are identical, consisting principally of the insert rack tube denoted generally as 23 and its cooperating engagement finger indicated generally as 24, a description of one set will suffice for both.

For the purpose of this invention, the chair 15.shall be deemed in use condition as in Fig. 1, with total disregard as to its collapsibility. The support at each arm rest is offered in the chair embodiment illustrated, by the legs 21, 21' respectively.

The insert tube 23 is securely fitted within the forward part of the arm rest 18. The arm rest has a longitudinal slot 25 in register with a similar slot 26 in the underside of the tubular insert 23. Rack teeth 27, 28 and 29 are formed interior said tube 23, by for instance cutting transverse slits in the top wall of said tube 23 and then bending the tube wall inwardly at each side of each slit which is forwardly in the chair as at 30 to form the rack teeth and incidently the holes or openings indicated at 27, 28' 29' which are in planes transverse to the longitudinal aXis ofsaid tube 23. As here shown, said teeth The tooth-engagement finger 24 is horizontal, extending laterally to one side face of a vertical arm 31 which is of flat plate material; such finger being at the top of= said arm. At the bottom ofsaid arm, itsmaterial isof a saddle form 32 for attachment to the top end region of the support therefor offered by the chair leg 21. The finger itself, has a tooth-engagement portion 33, extending towards the rear of the chair from the arm 31. Before the item 34 is mounted on the leg 21, its finger 24 is entered through the slots 25, 26, then such item is turned to upright position and plate arm 31 is entered in said slots which it slidingly fits. This arm is preferably bent a bit so that the engagement finger 24 is centrally of the rack teeth.

The tooth-engagement portion 33 need be of a width no more than the thickness of the metal of the arm 31 which would be sufricient for its function to frictionally engage any of the rack teeth by entering into any of the holes 27', 28' or 29'. It is the remainder of the finger 24 which is wider than the width of the slots 25, 26, which acts as a stop to avoid dis-association of item 34 from the arm rest- 18 when the tooth-engagement part 33 is out of an. opening 27'29 and said arm rest swung upwardly. Such stop action, of course, limits said swing. When the tooth-engagement part 33. is engaged with one of the rack teeth as shown in Fig. ,4, the weight of the sitter against the back 17 will lock the structure and the arm rests 18, 18 will become rigid.

It is evident that changing the position of the arm rests so that corresponding teeth be engaged by the items 34, 34, will alter the tilt of the back member 17 with respect to the seat member 16. V

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the Patent shall Coverall patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a chair structure or the like, a seat member, a back member swingably mounted on said structure so that the angle between said members can be altered upon movement of said back member, a tubular arm rest having a lengthwise slot; said arm rest being pivotally mounted at its rear end to said back member, a support member forwardly of the back member and adjacent said arm rest, a tubular member fixed within the hollow of the arm rest and having a lengthwise slot in registry with the slot in the arm rest; said inner tubular member having a plurality of spaced openings therealong in a zone parallel to said slots and the wall of said inner tubular member being bent inwardly so that said openings are in planes which are in angular relation to the longitudinal axis ofsuch inner tubular member; all such openings being enterable from inside said inner tubular member, an arm extending from said support member through said slots and into said inner tubular member, a finger extending laterally from said arm along said inner tubular member; the arm rest being adapted to be moved so that said finger can be entered into any of said openings in the inner tubular member and removed therefrom and an element extending laterally from said arm within said inner tubular'member, adapted to contact the inner surface of said inner tubular member while said finger is wholly within such inner tubular member and said arm rest is swung upwards; said element serving as a stop means to maintain the fingerwithin said inner tubular member.

2. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein said slots are in the undersides of the arm rest and inner tubular member and wherein said openings in the inner tubular member are directly above said slots.

3. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein the direction of movement of the finger to enter any of said openings is away from the back member.

4. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein the stop element is a lateral extension of the finger.

5. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein the arm which extends through the slots is slidably fitted therein for movement therealong.

6. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein the planes of said openings are substantially upright when the chair is in use position.

7. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein said inner tubular member is originally provided with a plurality of transverse slits; the wall of said inner tubular member being bent inwardly at one side of'each of said slits;

8. In a chair structure or the like, a seat member, a back member swingably mounted on said structure so that the angle between said members can be altered upon movement of said. back member, a tubular arm rest having a lengthwise slot; said arm rest being pivotally mounted at its rear end to said back member, a support member forwardly of the back member and adjacent said arm rest, an elongated member fixed within the hollow of the arm rest; said elongated member having a plurality of spaced openings therealong in a zone parallel to said slot and the wall of said inner member being bent inwardly so that said openings are in planes which are in angular relation to the length of the arm rest; all of said openings being enterable from inside the arm rest, an arm extending from the support memb-r through said slot and into the arm rest, a finger extending laterally from said arm along the arm rest; the arm rest being adapted to be moved so that said finger can be entered into any of said openings and removed therefrom and an element extending laterally from said arm within the arm rest, serving as a stop to maintain the finger within the arm rest when the arm rest is swung upwards.

9. An article as defined in claim 8, wherein the inner member having the openings is a piece of tubing having a lengthwise slot; said arm being through said slot and slidable therealong; said finger being within said inner tubular piece.

10. An article as defined in claim 9, wherein the innertubular piece is concentric and in contact with the arm rest and wherein said slots are in register.

11. An article as defined in claim 8, wherein the movement of the finger to enter any of said openings is in a single direction.

12. An article as definedin claim 8, wherein the width of the arm across the slot is substantially the width of said slot.

13. An article as defined in claim 8, wherein the planes of said openings are substantially upright when the chair is in use condition.

14. An article as defined in claim 8, wherein said inner member is originally provided with transverse slits; such member being bent towards the longitudinal axis of the hollow in the arm rest atone side of each of said slits.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,847,060 Pearlstine Aug. 12, 1958 2,872,969 Thomas Feb. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 224,185 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1941i 517,560 Italy Mar. 1, 1955 

